Liverpool footballer Trent Alexander Arnold(Image: Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)

Brilliant, Black and Scouse: 19 Liverpudlians who inspire us

by · Liverpool Echo

To kick off Black History Month, we look at the incredible contributions made to our region by Black Merseysiders

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From sports stars to singers, politicians to social justice campaigners, Liverpool's Black community has helped shape our city. It is the oldest Black community in Europe and has made incredible contributions to our culture and way of life. To celebrate the start of Black History Month, we decided to take a look at 18 inspirational people and what they have achieved.

'My nan is my mum, dad and everything in between'

'Who'd have dreamt, years ago, that all the branches would close?'

This is by no means a complete list - there are so many people who have had a huge impact on our city's cultural, political and sporting lives, it would be impossible to list them all. If you want to find out more about the rich history of Liverpool's Black community, the Museum of Liverpool will be offering guided tours throughout October, telling the stories of some of the many inspirational black British people connected to Liverpool. You can find out about the tours here.

  1. Kajdijah Sonko

    Kajdijah Sonko's son Yusuf was killed at just 18 years old in a Toxteth street shooting. Following Yusuf's death, Kajdijah has campaigned tirelessly to find her son's killer - as well as speaking out on the evil of knife and gun crime. She led an anti-gun and knife crime march through the streets of Liverpool in a public demonstration against thugs who carry weapons on our streets. Speaking to the ECHO earlier this year on the same spot her son died, Khadija called on people in her community to come forward with information as to who killed Yusuf and why.
    1 of 19(Image: Iain Watts)

  2. Howard Gayle

    Born in Toxteth in 1958, Howard Gayle was the first Black footballer to play for Liverpool FC. He joined the youth ranks at local side Liverpool in 1974 and signed a professional contract with the club in 1977. He was seen as a trailblazer in a sport that was almost all white at the time. Since retiring from football, Howard has become an anti-racism campaigner and has worked with Kick It Out and Show Racism The Red Card.
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  3. Katarina Johnson-Thompson

    Olympic athlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson is such an icon in the city, she hardly needs introducing. Born in Woolton, Katarina spent the first year of her life in Nassau with her dad, before returning to Merseyside to live with her mum in Halewood. She studied sports science at Liverpool John Moores. In heptathlon, Katarina is a double world champion, double Commonwealth Games champion and an Olympic silver medallist. In indoor pentathlon, she is a world and double European champion.
    3 of 19(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)

  4. Irene Afful

    Irene Afful was the first Black female inspector in Merseyside Police history, having quickly risen through the ranks during her 25 year career in the force. She joined the police in 1991 and had to break down racial and gender boundaries to become such a trailblazer. She now runs her own business coaching and personal development company, aimed at showing others how to emulate her incredible success.
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  5. Mike Trebilcock

    Mike Trebilcock is best known for being the first man of colour to score for Everton, famously doing so twice in the 1966 FA Cup Final. Trebilcock was just 24 when he signed for Everton from Plymouth Argyle, a dream move for a player who had played for non-League Tavistock just a couple of years earlier. He played primarily as a winger and is most famous for scoring twice in the 1966 FA Cup Final for Everton.
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  6. John Archer

    John Archer was born in Liverpool in 1863, the son of a ship’s steward from Barbados and Irish mother. He made history in 1913 when he became the mayor of the London borough of Battersea. When the press speculated about his origins, he told them he had been born in a "little obscure village in England probably never heard of until now – Liverpool. I am a Lancastrian born and bred.” A painting of Archer hangs in Liverpool town hall, and a 'Great Britons' stamp set was commissioned by the Royal Mail in 2013 to celebrate his legacy.
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  7. Gee Walker

    In 2005, Anthony Walker was murdered in a horrific and unprovoked racist attack in Huyton. His senseless death left his family devastated - but in the face of unimaginable grief and loss, his mother chose to use her experiences to try and help others. Gee Walker vowed to fight against hate crime and she set up the Anthony Walker Foundation. The charity aims to promote racial harmony through education, sport and the arts and operates across the UK. Gee was awarded an MBE for her work in April this year.
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  1. Cliff Marshall

    A boyhood Blue, Cliff Marshall was the first Black Liverpudlian to play for Everton FC. Born in 1955 he grew up in Stanhope Street in Toxteth. He was signed by Everton in 1974 after showing promise as an international schoolboy, making his landmark debut for the Toffees on 11 January 1975. Cliff died at the age of 66 in November 2021.
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  2. John Conteh

    John Conteh is a British former professional boxer who competed from 1971 to 1980. He began boxing at the age of 10 at a boxing club in Kirkby. During his career he held multiple light-heavyweight championships, including the WBC title from 1974 to 1978; and the European, British, and Commonwealth titles between 1973 and 1974. Conteh was awarded an MBE in 2017 for services to boxing at the Queen's Birthday Honours.
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  3. Michelle Charters

    In 2023, Michelle Charters became the first Black woman to the lead the International Slavery Museum. Michelle has been a community activist since 1979, and before joining the International Slavery Museum, she was CEO of Kuumba Imani Millennium Centre in Toxteth. She is the Founding Chair of the Merseyside Black History Month Group and first Black woman to be appointed a Trustee of the Everyman and Playhouse Theatres in Liverpool.
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  4. Eddy Amoo

    Eddy Amoo was part of the 1970s band The Real Thing alongside his brother and two friends. The band had a UK No 1 single with You To Me Are Everything in 1976 and were also known for songs such as Feel the Force and Can't get By Without You. He was born in Liverpool to Ghanaian parents and grew up in the 60s and 70s in one of Liverpool’s most vibrant neighbourhoods - Toxteth. Eddy died at the age of 73 in February 2018.
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  1. Trent Alexander-Arnold

    Trent was born in West Derby and went to school in Crosby. He joined the Liverpool academy in 2007 and captained captained the club across its youth levels, before making his senior debut in 2016. He is widely regarded as one of the best right-backs in the world, known for his incredible passing skills and for his ability to take set-pieces. In 2019-20, he was named PFA Young Player of the Year and been named three times in the PFA Team of the Year.
    12 of 19(Image: Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)

  2. Gloria Hyatt

    Gloria Hyatt was Liverpool's first Black headteacher. Born in Toxteth to an Irish mother and Jamaican father, she spent many of her formative years in foster care homes. Hyatt established Liverpool's Elimu Academy, the country's first independent school to cater for Black and racial minority pupils. For her achievements, in 2003 Gloria Hyatt was awarded a Member of the British Empire (M.B.E.) for services to education and later in the same year she was given a Merseyside Women of the Year Award. She stepped down as headteacher in 2004 and now works as an educator and consultant, providing coaching and training to individuals and companies across the UK.
    13 of 19(Image: JOHN FERGUSON)

  3. Craig Charles

    The son of a Guyanese dad and an Irish mum, Craig Charles grew up on the Cantril Farm estate and went to West Derby Comprehensive School. Craig is an actor, comedian, author, poet, television presenter and DJ. He is best known for playing Dave Lister in the science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf and Lloyd Mullaney in the soap opera Coronation Street - a role he played until 2015. From 2017 to 2022, Craig hosted The Gadget Show on Channel 5.
    14 of 19(Image: PA)

  4. Sonia Bassey

    Born in Toxteth, Sonia Bassey MBE is a community artist and organiser. She is chair of the board of trustees for the Africa Oye festival, the biggest African live music event in the UK. In 2011 she curated the project Toxteth Riots – 30 Years On, a major photographic exhibition.
    15 of 19(Image: Wes Storey)

  1. Joanne Anderson

    Joanne Anderson was Mayor of Liverpool from 2021 to 2023. She was the first woman to be Mayor of the city and the first Black woman to be a directly elected mayor in the UK. She has described herself as a "proud Black, working-class Scouser who loves our city and its people".
    16 of 19(Image: Liverpool Echo)

  2. Lord Woodbine - the 'sixth Beatle'

    Although Lord Woodbine wasn't born in Liverpool, he made Merseyside his home. Trinidad and joined the RAF aged 14, serving in World War 2, before briefly returning to Trinidad and then coming back to the UK on the Empire Windrush in 1948. He subsequently become a hugely influential music promoter, and helped shape the sound of the early Beatles. He also ran major Liverpool clubs including the Jacaranda Club and the Blue Angel alongside Allan Williams.
    17 of 19(Image: Carol Phillips)

  3. Yaw Owusu

    Yaw grew up in Liverpool to a Ghanaian Dad and Jamaican mum. In 2020, he started On Record, a celebration and exploration of Black music in Liverpool and the role it has played in the city and in communities over the past 70 years. In 2021, Yaw executive produced Our Black History Heroes for CBBC, comprising 22 short animated videos that have young people from across the UK selecting their Black History Heroes. Since then, he has produced an acclaimed documentary on civil rights activist Marcus Garvey for BBC Radio 4 and is a lead on the Liverpool City Region Black Music Action Group.
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  4. Natasha Jonas

    Brought up in Toxteth, Natasha Jonas is a pioneer in the world of women's boxing and is a two-weight world champion. She was the first ever British female boxer to compete at an Olympic Games, and won the British Boxing Board of Control’s 2022 British Boxer of the Year award, becoming the first woman to do so. In 2023, Jonas became the first black woman to receive a manager's license from the British Boxing Board of Control.
    19 of 19(Image: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)